Chapter 44 Escape "What's that thing in the sky?"...

Autumn leaves fall, the north wind rises, and another year of life's cycle of growth and decay begins.

Inside a restaurant in the border town of Dayong, a fallen leaf drifted gently down onto a diner by the window.

A young man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes leaned against the corner of the wall, picking up a red leaf in the sunlight. He squinted at it, examining it closely in the light, the leaf's veins clearly visible. He patted his round belly with one hand and spoke lazily.

"Master, when are we going back to Kunlun? This trip has been so boring, so boring, so pointless."

The boy spoke to the red leaves without even glancing back at the person he was speaking to.

Across from the table sat an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in coarse linen clothes and wearing a straw hat, looking like a fisherman who had just returned home from the shore.

Zhang Zhenyang kicked the person opposite him, unsurprised by his disciple's lazy and rude behavior.

"If you're too full, go wash the dishes for the restaurant; it'll be a discount on two meals."

The boy seemed not to hear, shifted his position to spread himself out even more, and lazily basked in the sun without moving.

Zhang Zhenyang took a bite of the chicken leg angrily and snorted, "Outrageous! How did I end up taking in such a lazybones like you?"

The boy squinted in the sunlight, looking as content as if he were about to fall asleep. "Only a lazybones like me would still want to follow you. Master, let's not dislike each other. What kind of pot is this, what kind of lid is this?"

Zhang Zhenyang retorted, "You brat, you're talking nonsense! So many people on Kunlun Mountain want to become my disciples; the line could stretch from the summit to the foot of the mountain..."

The boy interrupted him, "That happened eight hundred years ago."

Zhang Zhenyang slammed down his chopsticks. "Eight hundred years? It's clearly less than a hundred years!"

The boy suddenly smiled smugly, "So you know it's been almost a hundred years, huh?"

The little rascal, he's gotten himself caught in it again.

Zhang Zhenyang picked up the cloth shoes from the ground and was about to hit someone with the soles when the boy saw that things were not going well. He immediately turned and ran away, slipping out of the window as nimbly as a fish.

Zhang Zhenyang didn't even put on his shoes and was about to go out to arrest someone, but the waiter at the shop entrance stopped him.

The waiter looked at him with a forced smile, "Sir, your table hasn't paid its bill yet, has it?"

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!" Zhang Zhenyang shouted in his heart. He really wanted to find someone to help him teach this brat a lesson!

*

The imperial court has recently acquired a piece of land in the south. Although the remnants of the previous dynasty in the west still occasionally cause trouble, the current harvest is plentiful, the granaries are full, and the entire territory of Dayong is thriving.

The moon is full tonight, and the palace is brightly lit.

The emperor held a banquet for his officials at night to celebrate the prosperity of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Many people attended the banquet, and the table was set up both inside and outside the hall.

Qin Yuqi had been in a good mood these past few days, and at the banquet he drank several cups of wine offered by his subjects. Even the clichéd compliments were met with polite responses, behaving as a proper crown prince.

But his mind wasn't really on that.

The dishes at the banquet were quite good. He picked and chose osmanthus cake and crispy pork, and also ordered a pot of sweet wine, which he then had sent to Xiao Jiang.

These days, they've been getting along well. When he applies ointment to her wounds, she doesn't resist as much as before, and occasionally, when she's in a good mood, she'll respond to a few words he says. They both tacitly avoid mentioning the past.

For an ordinary couple, these interactions wouldn't seem like much, but for Qin Yuqi, these signs were all developing in a positive direction, which was already a huge step forward. He believed that this would be the first step for her to accept him.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau said there would be continuous rain for some time to come, and he had already planned to take her to Luhua Terrace before the rain started to see the red leaves covering the Phoenix Mountain.

She will fall in love with Zhaoming City.

...One day, she will fall in love with him too.

People came and went at the banquet, and Qin Yuqi knew very well that some people needed to be won over, while others needed to be warned. He could have done a lot at the banquet, but Qin Yuqi couldn't muster any interest.

Ever since he freed her from his constraints, and she obediently stayed by his side, Qin Yuqi has become a naive young man experiencing his first love. He can't concentrate on anything, and his eyes are always on her, wanting to spend more time with her.

"This banquet is going to be too long," Qin Yuqi thought to himself. He had drunk too much and was already a little tipsy. Just as he got up to leave his seat, the person at the head of the table gave him a look, so Qin Yuqi had no choice but to obediently sit back down.

He knew very well that his father was very dissatisfied with him lately.

Gaining the Liyue Village but losing a national advisor might not have been a worthwhile deal for the emperor.

But that man was a sorcerer. Qin Yuqi knew that his father relied on Jia Qianyang, but that man's sorcery was too evil. He seemed to be helping Dayong seize land, but in reality, he was always seeking personal gain.

The previous Great Zhou Dynasty was destroyed because it harbored too many shady cultivators, leading to widespread public resentment. Learning from the Great Zhou Dynasty's example, Qin Yuqi would never rely on such people to rule the country; this is ultimately not the right way to govern.

But the Emperor didn't think that way. He continued to recruit cultivators, and the second prince was even more enthusiastic about it.

That damned nuisance is always there, appearing whenever you want.

Qin Shize brought over a glass of wine and, with a smile, clinked it against Qin Yuqi's glass.

"I heard that my third brother brought back a beauty from that barbarian land. Why didn't you bring her to the banquet today so that everyone could see her beauty?"

Qin Shize's voice was flippant, and his eyes glanced lightly at the scantily clad dancer in the hall, implying that she was merely a low-class pastime for Qin Yuqi.

Qin Yuqi knew he was looking for trouble, but he wasn't angry. He just looked the other man up and down with a mocking smile before slowly saying, "Aren't all the beauties kept in Chengqingfang outside the palace enough for Second Brother? Do you think Father Emperor knows that Second Brother is keeping a large group of people outside the palace?"

"You..." Qin Shize was stung by his words and immediately gripped his wine glass tightly, but he quickly recovered and chuckled, "Hehe, Third Brother is joking. But I heard that the person you brought back is a monster. You don't think she's someone you can't show your face, do you?"

Qin Yuqi's gaze immediately turned cold. "She's perfectly fine, Second Brother, there's no need for you to worry about her. If you don't have any important official business, Second Brother, you should learn how to keep your mouth shut."

Qin Shize gritted his teeth. He wasn't the crown prince, so of course he didn't have any important official business!

"Your Highness, Your Highness."

Qin Shize turned around and saw Liu Dan, the Lord Liu, with a face beaming like a flower. This man had been promoted two ranks after returning from a mission, and was naturally riding high, but in Qin Shize's eyes, he was quite an eyesore, as everyone knew he was on Qin Yuqi's side.

"Lord Gao was just looking for you, it seems he has something important to discuss." Liu Dan looked at an old minister at the end of the table. The old minister was leisurely drinking alone, and did not look like he was looking for someone at all. He was simply lying through his teeth.

Qin Shize had already gotten nowhere with Qin Yuqi, and now that another ally had arrived, he angrily turned and left.

Qin Shize left, but his words cast a shadow over Qin Yuqi's heart. Qin Yuqi downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, telling himself that as long as she was by his side, he didn't need to investigate anything else.

"Your Highness, why are you so upset?" Liu Dan knew that Qin Yuqi was unhappy, so he silently poured him a full cup of wine and comforted him, "That girl is still young. Your Highness should not push her too hard. Give her more time."

Qin Yuqi wouldn't listen. After meeting her, his heart felt hollowed out, like a well so empty it could let in the wind.

If she were kinder to him, the well would fill with some sand and stones, giving him a moment of peace. But sand and stones without roots or foundation always collapse easily. Even a single gesture, a glance from her, or a mere suspicion from someone else could make him anxious and insecure, and he could never be truly satisfied.

Qin Yuqi was drinking silently when she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye—the young palace maid who frequently entered and exited her bedroom.

Holding a palace banquet requires a lot of manpower, and it is common to draw on palace staff from various palaces to help. However, Qin Yuqi felt inexplicably uneasy, as if he had overlooked something.

But Jiang Yuhuo lost her cultivation after Jia Qianyang cut off her wings, and she was also covered in injuries. What could possibly happen to her?

Qin Yuqi keenly sensed something unusual.

No. She's been too quiet these days, so quiet it's unlike her.

Tonight is a full moon night. During the banquet, some people went outside the palace in twos and threes to admire the moon, talk loudly, and drink and make merry.

Suddenly, someone outside the hall asked, "What is that thing in the sky?"

When the words reached Qin Yuqi's ears, his heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked up.

From his perspective, in the night sky, above the overlapping and staggered palaces, a white-haired girl riding a crane was about to fly over the palace city. The full moon hung in the sky, and the shadows of the girl and the crane seemed to be heading towards the moon.

Qin Yuqi sobered up instantly, and an overwhelming sense of fear surged through him. He rushed out of the hall in a panic and ran towards the girl.

He knocked over a table, and without even putting on his shoes, the courtiers saw the Crown Prince running around in just silk stockings, disregarding all decorum, right before their eyes.

As he ran, he shouted to the people in the sky, "Jiang Yuhuo, come down!"

"Don't go, don't go! Come back!"

"Jiang Yuhuo! Come back!"

He was shouting hoarsely, as if he were going mad.

Hearing the shouts, the girl riding the crane glanced back at the people on the ground, giving them only a cold look without being moved. Then she lowered her body, hugged the crane's neck, and made the crane increase its flight speed.

One of the guards thought that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to stop the people in the sky, so he drew his bow and shot an arrow at them.

The girl riding the crane noticed the commotion and quickly shifted her body. The arrow just barely passed by her side; if it had been an inch off, it would have hit her.

Qin Yuqi was both anxious and furious. He drew his sword, slashed at the bow and arrows, and pointed the sword at the guards, roaring, "No one is allowed to fire an arrow! No one is allowed to fire an arrow!"

But the people in the sky were getting farther and farther away, soon out of their firing range. He was helpless and could only shout in despair, "Jiang Yuhuo, come back! I'm begging you, come back..."

Qin Yuqi was chasing after the people in the sky and forgot to watch where he was going. He lost his footing and tumbled down the high steps.

He collapsed awkwardly at the bottom of the steps, his whole body aching and unable to move. He could only watch the shadows of the man and the crane grow smaller and smaller. He stared intently at the person beside the moon, his eyes red and swollen, unblinking, filled with resentment, unwillingness, and a hint of grievance.

Why? Why did you leave him again?!

He had already given her the best of everything, he was willing to give her anything, he even defied his father for her, he was willing to risk everything, so why wouldn't she accept him?

It's all wishful thinking on his part!

But he just wanted her! The more she tried to escape, the more he wanted her!

The prince, who was once a figure of great wealth and honor, lay at the bottom of the steps, his fingers digging deep into the floor tiles until they were bloody and raw, forcing back the tears welling up in his eyes.

Next time, you won't have another chance to escape.

Everything happened in an instant; the people in the sky quickly disappeared, and the people on the ground had not yet recovered from the shock of that moment.

A young palace maid in the crowd quietly clenched her hands, silently praying for the departed.

Fly, Jiang girl, to a place where no one can bind you anymore.